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\chapter{Introduction}
\label{sec:introduction}

Play is important. It is not something humanity has come up with at a certain point but a part of nature. You probably have seen young dogs or cats engaging in a state of play in which they are 'play-fighting'. This specific kind of play is called body play. They don't do it to learn how to fight. If you prevent a cat from playing when it is young it will be just as good a predator in its later life \cite{brown08}. More than that it is not only animals of the same kind such as cats or dogs that play with each other and people playing with their pets. Rats will play with cats, bears will play with dogs (Figure~\ref{fig:dogbear}). Figure~\ref{fig:goat} shows a picture of a mountain goat playing with itself by making high jumps into the air just for fun. Play trains the brain. The player explores, rehearses, becomes creative and is motivated.\newline
\begin{figure}[ht]
\begin{minipage}[b]{0.45\linewidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{images/goat.jpg}
\caption{Playing goat}
\label{fig:goat}
\end{minipage}
\hspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[b]{0.425\linewidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.5]{images/bear_dog.jpg}
\caption{Polar bear playing with dog}
\label{fig:dogbear}
\end{minipage}
\cite{brown08}
\end{figure}
\newline
What games do is to shape play for us by adapting it to a set of principles which results in the possibility of a virtually unlimited number of games. The earliest records of human history already mention games. While the meaning of cave paintings is not known and some theories attribute it as attempts of communication or religion it might just be that they were to a degree the result of play, just like children today are making macaroni pictures with glue. The same could be assumed with dance, music and other forms of art.

So far in today's world not much research has been done concerning the importance of play due to the fact that it has been frowned upon as a waste of time and considered to be something mainly for children. But the potential is great. An average person in a western country spends ten thousand hours on online games by the age of 21, which is {\bf over one year of pure game time} or as much time as he would spends in school until the end of highschool \cite{jane10}.\newpage
The resources being invested into research in that field don't do this number justice.

Studies have shown that for example players of 1st person shooters display better spacial orientation than an average person.

Any activity that a person performs can influence the person. The more time is spend on the activity the greater the influence. The potential of games which make use of this fact is major when considering the great amounts of time the current generations spends on them.

All these are reasons to research a new type of games. Games that are still fun and awaken our instincts to play but have goals beyond mere entertainment: Serious Games. 